Engaging the Giants

A history of sawmills and tramways of Tasmania’s Southern

By Scott Clennett

Published by the LRRSA

Hard cover, 240 pages, A4 size, 170 photographs, 21 maps, bibliography, references, and index

This book describes a complex series of timber tramways which operated in southern Tasmania during the period 1850 to 1974.

It covers the area from Franklin (45 km south of Hobart) to Cockle Creek – the most southerly settlement in Tasmania, and includes Bruny Island. Gauges of the timber tramways varied from 2 ft 6 in to 6 ft, but the most common gauges were 3 ft 6 in and 4 ft 6 in, and over a dozen steam locomotives were used, including two Shays, and many of ingenious local manufacture